From bullet proof vests to the steel industry

In his 28-1/2 years working for the Norwell Police Department, officer Gerard Buckley has gained a reputation for his outgoing personality and dry sense of humor.

Now after spending a total of 30 years as a police officer, Buckley, 55, plans to retire from the Norwell Police Department next month.

His last day as an officer will be July 6, after which he will begin a new job, working side by side with family members, at the Buckley Co., a steel company in Hanson.

Tessa Fitzgerald

In his 28-1/2 years working for the Norwell Police Department, officer Gerard Buckley has gained a reputation for his outgoing personality and dry sense of humor.

Now after spending a total of 30 years as a police officer, Buckley, 55, plans to retire from the Norwell Police Department next month.

His last day as an officer will be July 6, after which he will begin a new job, working side by side with family members, at the Buckley Co., a steel company in Hanson.

Last Thursday (June 21), the department held a retirement reception for Buckley at the Cushing Center. From Buckley’s favorite high school teacher to family members, colleagues and friends, the event drew quite a crowd. And everybody seemed to have a story to tell about Buckley.

Jack Martin, a retired police officer who Buckley described as his mentor, worked with Buckley for two years. Martin helped train Buckley when he first joined the Norwell department.

“Gerry was one of the first guys in the department to wear a bullet proof vest,” Martin said. “Of course, we all used to kid him about it.”

Martin, who did not wear a bullet proof vest, would joke with Buckley, then a rookie officer, that when they approached a crime scene, Buckley’s job was to walk in first and he’d be over his shoulder.

All kidding aside, Martin said the town of Norwell would be missing a great officer when Buckley leaves next month. “He’s the greatest,” Martin said. “We were very lucky to have him come to us from Cohasset.”

Martin added that Buckley would always be remembered for his dry sense of humor.

Det. Bob Clark, with the Norwell Police Department, said Buckley is irreplaceable. “He’s one of a kind, always there to help you,” Clark said.

Buckley’s sister-in-law Robin Pape, added that Buckley has a nickname for everybody.

Buckley’s children, Candice Schmitz and Rob Buckley, recalled many a car trip where their dad would keep them out longer than expected because he stopped to talk to so many people.

They joked that now their dad is retiring, he should run for office. “He talks to everybody,” Schmitz said.

“He’d make a good politician,” Rob Buckley said.

Buckley decided he wanted to work in law enforcement when he was in high school. He had a lot of reasons for the career choice, but said mainly, “I wanted to portray law enforcement in a humane way,” he said. “It can be a tough business.”

He said he also wanted to help people. “I figured that law enforcement was a good avenue to do that.”

And then there was his schedule.

Growing up, his father worked as a salesman and often put in long hours and late nights on the job.

“I said ‘if I had a family, I wanted to be home at night’,” Buckley said. Though he said he was a little naïve about the job and ended up working the midnight to 8 a.m. shift for a time.

He attended college at Northeastern University, where he majored in criminal justice. From there, Buckley worked for the Cohasset Police Department for a short time before he came to Norwell in 1979.

His last job title on the Norwell force was senior response/domestic violence officer, which he said was his favorite job. “Working with the elderly was a treat for me,” he said.

Buckley said he chose to leave the department because he wanted to try another job. “The problem I had when I hit 50 is that you kind of get bored,” he said, though he’s enjoyed working with the people of Norwell, his fellow officers and the dispatchers.

What he won’t miss is running into people with bad attitudes. He also won’t miss some of the tough accident scenes he’s responded to. Two stand out in his mind, one a three-person fatality and the other a case of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Buckley said he would most miss his colleagues and the people he has gotten to know on the job.

Besides the change in career, after Buckley retires, he plans to travel to Seattle to attend a wedding, as well as the annual trip he takes with his wife to the Caribbean.